Former Long Beach State men’s basketball coach Tex Winter has been selected for 2011 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction. Winter served as the 49ers head coach for five seasons, 1978-79 through 1982-83.

Winter, the innovator of the triangle offense, helped the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls win nine NBA championships as an assistant to Phil Jackson. He retired following the 2006 season, capping a career that included two Final Four trips while at Kansas State.

Winter started his coaching career at Kansas State as an assistant before moving to Marquette in 1952 to take his first head coaching job. He spent two seasons with the Warriors before returning to K-State where he served as the head coach for the next 15 seasons. He won eight league titles during that stretch. Winter was named the UPI National Coach of the Year in 1958 after he led the Wildcats to the Final Four. Winter later went on to serve as head coach at Washington and Northwestern, as well as Long Beach State. He won 454 games at the collegiate level. Winter was the head coach of the Houston Rockets for two seasons (1972-74). He joined the Bulls in 1985 and followed Phil Jackson to the Lakers.

Winter will be enshrined Aug. 12 in Springfield, Mass., along with nine other inductees.